Reflections of Light
by Roses and Diamonds
Summary: I awoke in a barren land of white and cold. No memories, no thoughts, no feelings. Nothing. Full Summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, first off, takes place in the next generation of Alices. Mikan, Natsume, and the gang are parents now. You might find some familiar faces though in not the way you ever expected! Oh, and for those of you who want to know, there will be romance. **

**Summary: The next generation of Gakuen Alice has arrived, but nothing is the same. Alices are classified by "elements", star rankings have become class rankings, and new evils are on the loose. Enter Maria, a girl with no memory of her past life and an incredible power that threatens her life. Found and taken in by a group of Alices, Maria finds herself thrown into a world of confusion and secrets. With potential death waiting around every turn, she must find a way to save herself. But first, she must unravel the secrets of her past…**

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**I awoke in a barren land of white and cold. "Snow," my mind told me. This "snow" gently drifted to the ground around me as I laid in the silence that I somehow knew only came with the snow.

_Who am I? Why am I here? Where is here? _So many questions zoomed through my mind, they soon were indecipherable. For some reason, whenever I would try to answer a question, my mind would only respond with another question. _Where am I? What am I? What was I? Who lives here? What is this place? Why do I not know?!_

"_You must remember..." _the wind whispered. As soon as the words registered with my overheated brain, a hot emotion boiled inside of me. Frustration. It built and built until it broke loose with a shrill sound. I recoiled in fear. _What was that noise? _

_"You're screaming..." _the wind once again informed. Screaming? Was that sound really me?

Abruptly, another sound broke me out of my ponderings. "I heard it too. Out here," a voice was saying. Automatically, I curled in a ball, cowering. All my senses went on alert, waiting in readiness to run at the first sign of danger.

A bright light shone from behind me lighting up the snow around me. Jerking around, I squinted into the light. A dark form was illuminated in the harsh glow sent by whatever was inside the building. More forms appeared as they spotted my huddled form.

"There's someone here! A little girl!" a voice sounded distinctly male.

"She must be frozen! Get her inside, quick!" another voice called. This one was female.

The words registered with my brain slowly. They were here to capture me. Take me against my will. I had to run. NOW!

"She's going to run," came yet another voice. How did he know?! I hadn't moved an inch since the door had been opened. No clue had been given to what I was about to do.

"Do you really think a little girl is going to outrun any of us? Even without our Alices, she's not getting away," said another voice (how many people were there?!) The voices were almost upon me now. I would either run or be captured.

It was time to run.

My head snapped up and I leaped forward, away from my pursuers. With speed that astonished me, I ran across the snow to the woods that I could now make out on the horizon. Shouts were heard behind me, "Stop her!" "Use your alice!" "Don't let her get to the barrier!"

Barrier? What's a barrier? My mind spun for an answer, but none was given to me. Whatever it was, they didn't want me to it.

All the more reason to.

Pumping my legs faster, I pushed myself to run harder. I could feel my pursuers hot on my tail. They weren't giving up, but neither was I.

_But why am I running? _my brain questioned. For all I knew, these people could have the answers I'm looking for. They could be kind people willing to help me regain my memores.

Or they could want to hurt me, enslave me against my will. They could use me for their own gain or injure me in some other way.

A cold sensation went up my spine causing me to falter in my steps. Fear.

As soon as I recognized the emotion, an image came into my head. An image so awful, my mind left the present chase and allowed the image to engulf my consciousness.

_A dark room lit only by a small flame. No traits can be made out about that room except that it is small, dark, and empty. I think I'm alone until someone speaks, "We need to stay quiet, Maria." I now notice the hands that cup the flame. "Someone's coming!" hissed another voice. Abruptly, the flame is put out. Fear engulfs my senses._

As quick as it started, it ended. I blinked my eyes rapidly trying to banish the scene from my mind, but only succeed in almost tripping. Luckily, this breaks me out of the memories grip enough to remember where I was and what I was doing.

The voices started again, this time sounding out of breath, "Why hasn't anyone used their alice yet? She's getting close to the barrier."

"No one wants to hurt her."

"So? Be creative."

"Why don't you?"

"You know mine is a type 4 alice!"

"So?"

The voices kept bickering. So I was getting close to the barrier? Good thing. My legs were starting to hurt, and my breathing was coming out in short pants.

I glanced up at the horizon again hoping to catch sight of the barrier before hitting it. Perplexed, I slowed a little. I seemed to be approaching a forest. No barrier could be seen anywhere. Smiling, I willed myself to go faster. I would be able to disappear inside of the trees.

That's when I noticed the voices were calling to me.

"Stop! You'll get hurt!" Like hell I would. "Just come back!" "We won't hurt you!" "I might," one voice huffed. A grunt of pain followed this. "Please!"

This only encouraged me to keep going. But that became a big mistake.

I had assumed that this barrier was just non-existent, made up to mess with me. The thought of it being invisible never crossed my mind.

Until I hit it.

One second, I was running full out. The next, I hit something solid and was thrown back. When I made contact with the barrier, pain exploded across my body. I screamed.

"She hit the barrier!"

"Well, at least she'll stop now."

"You baka! She might be dead!"

"No way!"

The voices finally caught up. Now that they were right in front of me, through a haze of pain, I could make out that there were 6 of them. All were dressed in the same type of black and blue uniform and looked out of breath. 3 girls. 3 boys.

The lead girl walked up to me, bent down and brushed my hair from my face. If I could've moved, I would've recoiled, but that was currently impossible with the levels of pain I was receiving.

"Well, she's alive, but we need to get her back to the healers," the girl said. "Yuuki, will you levitate her back inside? I don't think she can move." Another girl behind her nodded.

Tears started falling down my cheeks. I had been caught. Who knows what would happen to me now?

"Shh..We won't hurt you," whispered a boy as he bent down next to the first girl. He placed his hands over my eyes and whispered a word in a language I had never heard before.

Instantly, the world went black, and I felt myself slipping away.

_Am I dying? _was my last thought before all thoughts were erased.

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**A/N: Well, this is the start of Maria's story. Hopefully, you're not too confused and I didn't go too fast. Review please! No bad flames, but constructive criticism is always welcome  
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**Thanks!**

**~Roses and Diamonds  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey Everyone! Well, I'm trying to be really good about this story and update every weekend, but I am currently in two plays and am in the process of writing and choreographing a new play that I'm going to perform with my friends this summer. Add all my other stuff I have to do….In summary, I'm busy, but I'm trying really hard. You'll just have to bear with lower quality but faster updates. **

**Oh! I'll be using some last names in this chapter that if you've read the series you can probably figure out or go to ****.org/wiki/List_of_Gakuen_Alice_characters**** and look for the last name/name. And I find it easier to use Mr/Ms/Mrs then trying to the Japanese titles. If you need character info on their status in the story, skip to the bottom. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Forgot to do this last time! Gakuen Alice is not mine!**

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**The beep of machinery was the first thing I heard. _I must be in a hospital_, my brain thought unconsciously. _A hospital? What's a hospital?_ Without opening my eyes, I slowly felt around me with my senses. It seemed like I was on a soft bed in a hospital room. There was an IV in my left hand, and my clothes had been replaced with a hospital gown. _Where am I?_

I was interrupted from my fuddled thoughts as I realized that I wasn't alone. There seemed to be two people arguing.

"Subaru Imai! You know we have to question her!" said a female voice. Just by the way she said it, you could tell that she was someone of importance who always got what they wanted.

"Sumire," another voice said with obvious dislike. This must be Subaru Imai. "I am well aware of your position—"

"Then, let me question her!" Sumire interrupted.

"But! She is in no state to be questioned at the moment as you can plainly see! Come back when she's actually conscious!"

Score one for Mr. Doctor Man.

"Fine! But don't expect me to be alone next time! Angering him with do nothing but bring you grief!" near the end, her voice seemed to take on a sad tint.

The doctor's voice went quiet. "Sumire, he knew what he was getting himself into. He would have much rather died than side with them, and I used to think you thought the same way."

Sumire's voice dropped to a whisper too. "You know that I'm only with them to take them down from the inside—"

"Or are you just too scared to actually become targeted by leaving?" he interrupted. Sumire stayed quiet.

At this point, I was lost. Lost like a toddler in Physics class (where did that come from?!), I decided to just follow along and hope to pick up something more about what they were going to do with me.

"Why are you even protecting her anyways? This is very out of character for someone who is even cold to his own sister. It's not like she's special or anything," she sneered obviously mad and deciding to take it out on me.

"She did everything she could to get away. Only someone with an Alice parent against the academy would run. You never know if it's someone who escaped or even," his voice went quiet. "_Their_ child_."_

Sumire gasped, but quickly covered it up by clearing her throat."Well, since there's nothing for me to do here, I guess I'll just leave. We'll be back for her later. Good day, Imai." The click of heels could be heard fading into the distance as she walked away.

The doctor sighed and sat down with a squelch of plastic cushioning. I decided it was probably a good time to let him know I was awake.

Without opening my eyes, I asked, "Doctor, what are you going to do with me?"

The chair he was sitting on complained again as he leapt up and hurried to the side of my bed. The bed gave slightly to my right as he laid his hands down upon it.

"We're not going to do anything with you. Don't worry," he said not understanding my question. "Can you open your eyes?" I just nodded. He waited as I held my breath preparing myself for pain.

Slowly, I willed my eyelids to open. At first, a blinding light pierced my eyes, but my eyes quickly adjusted after a few blinks. Luckily, nothing had hurt. Yet. I took that opportunity to take in my surroundings.

I had been right in saying that I was in a hospital room. White walls, white floor, white ceiling, white sheets, white gown. To my left was a monitor flashing numbers at me and an IV bag that lead to my left hand. Glancing to my right, I finally took in the doctor.

He looked around forty years old with dark black hair with a fine dusting of grey and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. Short stubble grew along his chin making me assume he had probably been here for a while. Continuing my observation, my eyes went from his neat white lab coat all the way up until I finally got to his eyes.

Even though they were placed behind a pair of black glasses, they were utterly shocking to behold. His irises were a beautiful dark amethyst sprinkled spots of purple so dark they almost looked black. Behind his dazzling eyes seemed to be flickers of light, of hope, and of sadness. It was almost as if I was looking into his soul.

Through my examination, the doctor patiently waited, but it seemed he could take it no longer. His curiosity won over his good manners.

"What's your name?" he started out very abruptly. I almost laughed at his eagerness but stopped myself just in time. I didn't want to show that I was getting comfortable with him.

"Maria," I answered softly. Giving away the only information I had about myself left me feeling frustrated. Why was this all I could remember?! I mean, everyday things seemed to come to me naturally, but if I tried to remember anything about my past, I would get nothing.

"Hello, Maria. I'm Subaru Imai, the healer here at this clinic. Is it all right if I ask you some questions?" he inquired. Again, the curious glint started shining in his eyes.

I nodded.

"What's your full name?" he started.

"Maria," I answered plainly. He seemed confused but quickly brushed it off.

"Where do you come from?"

"I don't know."

"Who are your parents?"

"I don't know."

"Do you have any relatives?"

"I don't know."

"How did you get here?"

"I don't know."

"Do you have an Alice?" he seemed desperate now to find something that I did know.

"What's an Alice?" I questioned back.

"Oh, hmm…well, some people describe it as a super power. Others, as a magical ability. I would describe it as a special gift beyond that of normal people. For example, my Alice is the healing Alice," he described. He looked around and spotted what he wanted. Grabbing a nearby scalpel (don't ask me why it was there), Doctor Imai made a quick cut on his left arm. I gasped, but otherwise stayed silent. My eyes widened slightly in surprise.

He laughed at my reaction. "Don't worry. It's just a scratch. And now," he put the scalpel down. Putting his right hand over the cut, he continued talking. "My arm will be healed." When he lifted his hand away, the cut had been healed. The only sign that it had ever been there was a small line of blood that he quickly wiped away.

My mind kicked into overdrive at this point. _How did he do that? Could I do that? What other Alices were there?_ All these questions zoomed around my brain in a frenzy. But for some reason I was happy. These questions were ones that someone could most likely answer. And my brain didn't have to strain itself to try to bring back memories. They were…how to describe this?...Healthy questions!

"Other Alices include mind reading, super speed, invention, and manipulation of the elements. They are a wide variety out there. Everything from Soul Insertion to instant memorization. Now, Miss Maria, do you know if you have an Alice like this?" he questioned.

"I…don't know." This time, my answer didn't come automatically. In the back of my brain, a stirring of…something told me that maybe, just maybe, I did have one of these Alices.

"Well, I, for one, believe you do. Regular humans can't get past the barrier without permission from the school. I don't see how you would have been able to without being an Alice. As you well know by now, that barrier is designed to inflict great injury on anyone who touches it. I doubt someone without an Alice would survive. Hm… I wonder what yours is…" he trailed off. His eyes started staring off into space. After a few seconds of this, I cleared my throat causing him to jerk a little in alarm.

"Oh yes, back to work. Unfortunately, I was only given permission to heal your internal and fatal injuries so you will be in pain for a while. Now, try to sit up," he commanded.

Cautiously, I started to move my arms up the bed into a supporting position so that I could sit up. Even before I had moved three inches, I could feel sharp pains all along my arms. Glancing down, I could see that I had burns and cuts scattered across my arms. The movements had pulled at my sensitive skin. Somehow, I was able to continue to move my arms despite the pain and finish bringing my arms up.

Now was the hard part. I would have to put pressure on my arms and push myself into a sitting position. From seeing my arms, I knew that I would be very lucky to not have similar injuries all along my body. Doing this would be painful, but I would just have to bear through it.

Seeing my obvious pain, Doctor Imai reached up and helped support my back as I slowly pushed myself up. The pain wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I could feel a few cuts across my back, stomach and chest, but it definitely wasn't as bad as my arms had been.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I finally settled back into the pillow, fully sitting up.

"How's the pain?" Doctor Imai inquired.

"It hurts, but it's nothing really," I responded softly. Despite how he treats me, he could still be out to hurt me and I couldn't let my guard down.

"Aw, damn them," he muttered suddenly. "I'm going to heal some of these burns for you, but you mustn't tell anyone. Got it?" he stared me hard in the eye.

I nodded and watched as he bent forward to gently touch a burn on my arm. A purple light appeared from his hand and engulfed the wound. When the light faded, my burn was gone. Again, I was amazed and envious of his power. No normal person could do that!

He repeated this process until all the burns on my arms had been healed. With a sigh and a small shake of his head, he went over to the wall to hit a button which lit up as soon as he touched it.

"If I heal any more, they'll be suspicious. You'll just have to bear with the cuts. They'll heal in a few days anyways. The bruising and soreness is what you have to worry about now. It will be painful to move for a while, but you'll be good as new soon," he explained as he walked over to the door. With one on the handle, he said, "The nurse is coming in now to help you take a bath and change into something more…comfortable than that gown."

I glanced down at the flimsy, revealing gown only to glance up again in slight embarrassment. Doctor Imai just winked, turned the door handle, pulled open the door and walked out closing the door behind him.

I was left alone with thoughts so muddled, I'm surprised my brain didn't explode. Deciding to make a list to help clear it up, I mentally started listing the things I knew.

I was alive (obviously, but you have to start somewhere, right?)

I was in some sort of hospital/clinic. The doctor had mentioned something about an academy earlier, but I assumed that was where I had been and then they transferred me into this hospital after I had been injured.

Number 3 was harder. I didn't know if I could trust Doctor Imai or not yet so I just placed that one aside.

Struggling to find a number 4, I quickly gave up. I would have to find more before coming back to the list.

Just as I concluded this, the door started opening. I jumped in fright and quickly grabbed the sheets causing pain to shoot up my arms again. Gasping, I collapsed back onto the pillow. If this was someone wanting to kill me, they would have an easy time of it. I definitely was in no shape to fight, run, or do anything for that matter.

Luckily, I didn't have to worry. It was just the nurse that Doctor Imai had sent for.

As she entered, she wheeled in a long cart full of towels, clothes, soaps, and such. While she was busy with the cart, I was able to get a good look at her.

She looked to be about eighteen with long black hair that reached her slim waist and framed her figure. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with kindness and curiosity. I could detect no ill will behind those azure irises. My body relaxed subconsciously but instantly tensed again as I realized what she was doing to me.

When she had finished with her cart, she turned to me with her hands behind her back and skipped up to me, her nurse outfit flouncing with every step. Her cheerfulness caused my mouth to hang open.

_How can anyone be so happy? _

This simple question filled my mind. Obviously, I could never be this happy. I didn't even know who I was. There was no way happiness could enter me in such a way as it did her.

"Hello! I'm Sakura Andou* and I will be nursing you until you get better so get better fast, k?" she smiled.

Again, I found my body unconsciously moving. My lips turned up ever so slightly and my body relaxed. What was wrong with me?!

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm being rude. What's your name?" she inquired still smiling.

"Maria," I whispered looking at my hands.

"Well, it is _very_ nice to meet you Maria! One more thing, what's your Alice?" she asked very straightforward.

"I don't know, but the doctor says I have one," I said finally meeting her eyes.

She smiled kindly and said, "My Alice is the doppelganger Alice. I can create clones of myself. This'll definitely help me nurse you back to health right?"

I nodded and finally gave into the smile that was threatening to burst forth. She laughed.

Suddenly, she clapped her hands and said, "Enough of this chatter! We have to get you washed up so that your visitors can come see you! We weren't able to give you a bath earlier as we didn't know what your condition was. Here, take my arm and I'll help you up." She offered me her arm. Slowly, I raised my arm to grasp hers. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized that the healing Doctor Imai had done had relieved some of the pain in my arm. But I hadn't tried moving my legs yet.

"Now swing your legs around and place them on the floor," I did as she told with only a few gasps of pain. The doctor had been right in saying I would be sore for a while. "Good, now put your weight on them…Yes, just like that."

Gradually, she was able to get me to stand up. The pain was immense, but I just gritted my teeth and drove on.

"Try taking a step," she commanded. I did so, but as soon as I put all my weight on one leg, I collapsed. Luckily, Sakura caught me. "Let's try support on both sides this time," she said.

A noise on my left caused me to spin around abruptly and loose my balance. Two sets of arms grabbed me before I could fall. I glanced up only to see _two_ Sakuras. For some reason, my brain hadn't really believed that she could clone herself. Well, there you go brain. Proof, right there in front of ya. Good enough for you?

"Careful! We don't want you to hurt yourself even more, now do we?" she said as she helped me get balanced again. I nodded and concentrated again on my feet. "One, two. One two. There you go! One, two, one two, one two. Almost there! One, two, one, two. Three more steps! One, two, three!" she encouraged.

I had made it across the room with only a bit of help from Sakura and…uh…Sakura #2.

"We'll take it from here!" she told me. Three more Sakuras appeared in the blink of an eye causing me to gasp. Each Sakura grabbed a part of me as the original Sakura poured a bottle of liquid into the empty tub. Instantly, the tub filled up with water. "Instant bath water. It fills your bathtub instantly with the perfect temperature water that will never get cold," she explained. "Just one of the many Alice products out there."

She winked at me and then turned to the clones, "You, remove that God awful gown. The rest of you, slowly lower her into the water." They did as she said and I soon found myself in a perfectly warm bath. I sighed and relaxed, not even caring that she, er…they were seeing me naked. Nothing could disturb this moment…

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**A/N: Well, that was pretty long. Long for me, that is. Actually, my longest one ever. I was going to add a whole other section, but I decided I wanted to put it into the next chapter. Hopefully, I will post it tomorrow, but if not, I will post it next weekend.**

**Sakura Andou= for those of you who guessed, yes, she is the daughter of Misaki and Tsubasa Their story will be explained a bit later on. For those of you who don't know Misaki and Tsubasa, that's fine too. You don't need to know about them.**

**Thanks!**

**~Roses and Diamonds **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks so much for everyone who read the chapter and for those who reviewed! Luckily, my schedule isn't hectic at all yet. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Like I said in the last chapter, this is just a continuation of the last chap. **

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**As I was slowly dozing off in the tub, Sakura unloaded her cart. And boy, did she unload it.

"Maria! Open your eyes! We can't have you fall asleep in the tub!" she gently woke me. "It's time to clean you up!"

I opened my eyes slowly, savoring the feel of comfortable drowsiness. Adjusting a bit in the warm water, I looked around the bathroom. I had been too busy trying to walk to notice where I was actually going.

It was a beautiful bathroom. The walls were painted light beige with the lower half matching the cream-colored, polished stone flooring. To my left, a window was molded into the wall at just the right height to let you see out, but where no one would be able to see in. On my right I could see a long mirror, a long counter (matching the floor color of course), a small sink, a phone and a padded chair. The pearly white bath I was in was facing the door with a braided rug on the floor beside it. In the mirror, I could see that there was a shower just behind the bathtub. The toilet was in a little alcove off to the right of the mirror

After my initial inspection, I finally looked closely at the counter. My eyes went wide in surprise as I took it in. More than half the counter was filled with bottles, cans, sprays, electrical appliances and brushes of all kinds. I didn't know how anyone could own this much stuff, let alone _use_ it all!

"Okay," Sakura said clapping her hands together. "We need to start with your hair. Now, lean back…" I quickly settled in for what I knew would be a long wait.

Over the next half hour, I was thoroughly yet gently scrubbed, washed, and conditioned by Sakura. I stayed silent throughout it all with only a few comments or consents. At one point, Sakura started asking me questions.

"Maria, how old are you?" she asked as she softly rubbed soap across my back.

Wincing in slight pain as she went over cuts, I dug inside my mind for an answer. I searched through my very limited memories hoping to finally be able to answer this one question, for I was curious about it myself.

A sense of relief washed over me as I realized that I did know how old I was!

"I'm eight," I whispered.

"That's what I thought," she responded. "You're body is definitely not developed enough to be any older than eight or so. But my question is, how did you get here? A six year old wouldn't be able to come here on their own. No parent I know would ever allow it…" she drifted off into her thoughts while absentmindedly rubbing circles on my arm.

Luckily, she didn't ask me any more questions for the rest of the time.

After she was satisfied with my cleanliness and my fingers had turned prune-like, Sakura once again summoned her clones to help take me out of the bath tub. Slowly, they grabbed my arms as I stepped out of the bath and onto the rug. The chilly air caused me to shiver, but I was wrapped in a fluffy towel before I could get cold.

"Now sit here as I put some lotion on you and do your hair. You're not allowed to look into the mirror until I'm done, okay?" Sakura said while leaned over me with a smile. As her hair draped over my shoulder, I caught a whiff of something light and sweet smelling. It put me more at ease than I had been yet in her presence.

"Okay," I responded with a little more confidence than before.

She set to work first rubbing me all over with strawberry scented lotion. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, loving the smell. I relaxed into the chair as she moved onto my hair. As she was running a comb through it, I summoned my courage to ask her a question.

"How old are you, Sakura?" I asked. I assumed it was okay to ask as she already knew my age.

She laughed. "You know, most women won't give away their age willingly."

My eyes flew open in surprise. I blushed hoping I hadn't offended her.

Seeing my reaction, she laughed once more before saying, "But, I'll tell you mine." She paused in her brushing and leaned in closer to whisper in my ear. "I'm sixteen, but don't tell anyone." She winked before resuming her brushing.

So I had been wrong in my assessment of her. She was not eighteen, but actually sixteen. I wondered how much else I had gotten wrong.

I closed my eyes once more, lost in thought, as she continued her 'beautification'.

~X~

"Done!" she exclaimed with a squeal. It had taken her forty-five minutes, three different brushes, a hairdryer, several hair products, and something that smelled distinctly like honey to finally be finished.

"I really didn't do much with it," she continued. I almost burst out laughing, but thought it might be rude. "You have a lot of natural curl and that extra conditioning definitely helped. Anyways, I'm going to call one of my friends to bring you some clothes. She has the Alice of fashion. No matter what she makes, it always looks perfect on whoever wears it. She's really nice, too. Is it okay if she comes?"

I nodded. Like that, I realized that I was starting to trust Sakura. Who knew that a few hours of together would have this much effect?

"Okay!" She grabbed the phone off the counter and quickly punched in some numbers. Tapping her foot, she waited anxiously as it rang.

Her face perked up as (I assumed) someone answered the phone. "Hana! Thank God I got a hold of you! I have a girl here at the hospital in much need of your fashion help...Yes... I'll explain when you get here...Okay, and make it quick!" she hung up.

Clapping her hands together, she started talking again (honestly, I don't think she stops talking for long) with energy, "Hana's on her way over. It won't take her long at all to get here, but we'll let you rest on your bed until she comes okay?"

"Okay," I said. Slowly, I started to stand, refusing the offer of Sakura's arm. Relying on people was something that I unconsciously cringed at and that, I knew for some reason, I wasn't used to doing.

"I'm alright," I said seeing her worried face. She shifted a bit uneasily, but nodded her consent. Taking my damp towel from around me, she wrapped me in a soft, white bath robe instead.

Walking forward, I could feel every bruise, cut, and scrape on my body. They were all a bit raw from the scrubbing and it hurt to pull the skin, but I knew I had to make it through. This was a test of my will.

I made it past the sink, then the counter still laden with products. Next to the door, through the door, and out the door. Back in the little hospital room and over to the bed. I laid down slowly and rested my head on the pillows.

Sakura, who had been a step behind the whole way, beamed happily. Yet, there was something behind her eyes; something that I couldn't describe.

_Worry..._came that whispering voice again. I almost jumped in alarm, but quickly stopped myself. It had been a while since I had heard that soft murmur.

A knock came at the door successfully breaking me out of my pondering. Sakura turned quickly to the door. I could hear a voice saying, "Sorry I'm late, but they wouldn't let me in unless they knew for sure that I had permission to come in." Sakura threw open the door, leapt forward, and enveloped the person in a tight hug. Her hair blocked my view, but I knew this must be Hana.

"Sakura, will you get off please? There is someone here in much need of my fashion help and I prefer to get started right away," came the semi-muffled voice of Hana.

"Fine!" Sakura pouted, letting go and turning back to me. She pulled Hana over to my bed as she introduced her. "Hana, this is Maria. Maria, this is Hana."

Hana looked at me and smiled. Her smile lit up her deep brown eyes and made it hard to look away. As it was, I was only able to glance at the rest of her for a moment before looking back into her eyes again. She had rich, chocolate brown hair that reached her shoulder. She was shorter and a bit slimmer than Sakura, but not by much. Her uniform that she was wearing was somehow familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. She wore a blue and black checkered skirt, white shirt, and black blazer, but something about it screamed this girl knows what she's doing. Hanging off her arm was a big bag brimming with clothing.

"Hello, Maria. I'm Hana Suzuki. Nice to meet you!" she said as she offered her hand for me to shake. Cautiously, I took it and shook it slowly.

She looked me up and down once before exclaiming, "I have the perfect outfit for her!" Digging around in her purse, she eventually pulled out something blue.

"Wait!" Sakura interrupted. "I want it to be a surprise. Close your eyes, Maria. We'll dress you." I did so and waited patiently as they stood me up, took off my robe, and slipped a silky material over my head and onto my body.

"I need to bring up the hem just a bit...And maybe some leggings too," I could hear Hana mutter. I peaked between my lashes just as she touched the hem. It immediately shrunk up a few inches. Shutting my eyes was an automatic response to something so strange. "Sakura, grab those white tights in my bag. Yes, those."

I heard her snap her fingers, and suddenly, I felt the tights on my legs. My knees gave out in amazement and my eyes flew open. Catching me before I could hit the floor, Sakura grabbed me.

"Careful," she cautioned. "Hana, grab the mirror in the corner. It's time for her to see her new look!" As Hana grabbed the mirror, Sakura supported me.

Hana positioned the mirror in front of me, and I slowly looked at my self for the first time in my memory.

Gasping, I took in the girl in front of me. Blond curls cascaded down just past her shoulders, gently framing her oval face. A very cute, light purple, silky dress with short sleeves and a square neckline hung on her tiny frame to brush her feet. I winced and averted my eyes to her face as I took in the cuts adorning her arms, chest and neck, but gasped once again as I looked into her eyes.

A part of me noted that she had full, pink lips, a small nose, and a small dusting of freckles. All in all, a very pretty face. But the majority of my mind was taken up by her eyes. My eyes.

They were blue. A brilliant, shocking blue. Electrifying, yet somehow cold.

I winced once again and turned away. Smiling to cover up my slight shock, I told Hana thank you.

"It's really nothing," she said brushing it off. "I do this everyday. I'm just happy I got to do it for you! Do you like it?"

"Yes. Very much," I replied.

Sakura cleared her throat to get our attention. "Now that that's settled and you look presentable, it's time to let in your visitors!"

"Visitors?" I asked perplexed.

"Mhm. A lot of people have heard about what happened and have wanting to see you. Luckily, you don't have to meet them all. Doctor Imai instructed that only those who were directly involved in the accident were allowed to visit. Either way, they've been waiting for a while to see you. Is it alright to let them in?"

"Yes," I consented. Sakura smiled and walked (more like skipped) out the door.

As I refused to sit on the bed and act sickly as I met these people for the first time, Hana grabbed the chair from the bathroom for me to sit on and stuffed a few pillows behind me to prop me up.

Sakura came back in (once again skipping) after a few minutes. Following behind her were the six students that had chased me the first night. I unconsciously tensed as I looked at each in turn. Out of the girls, there was a girl with short, curly blond hair green eyes, and a black choker; one had long blue/black hair, black eyes, and a silver arm band; and the last with very long brunette hair in a ponytail and gray eyes. For the guys, they all had short hair, but one was brunette with blue eyes and a small crystal earring, one was brunette with red eyes, and the final one with white hair, black eyes, and a silver cross necklace.

Maria started the introductions. "Maria, I would like you to meet Yuuki Yoshida*," the girl with the blond hair waved, "Mika Ito," black haired girl smiled, "and Amaya Ohayashi ." the final girl also waved. Turning to the boys, she opened her mouth to start with them, but was interrupted as the one with the earring stepped forward, took my hand, and kissed it.

"I'm Kane Sono*. It's very nice to meet you, Maria," he said smoothly causing me to blush. Just behind him, I saw Yuuki roll her eyes. She moved forwards and grabbed the collar of his shirt pulling him back to the line. After giving him a quick smack on the head, she smiled at me and motioned for Sakura to continue.

She just rolled her eyes and said, "Well, you've met Kane. This one's Tomi Goshima*," she pointed at the other brunette as he smiled at me. "And the last one is Yue Ito." The white haired boy nodded in acknowledgment. "Yue and Mika are twins. They're also in the only ones in the elementary division. Yuuki, Kane, Hana, and myself are all in the middle school division while Tomi and Amaya are in the high school division. You can tell by the uniform they're wearing."

I nodded noticing the truth in her words. Toni and Amaya had green bottoms while Yue and Mika had red bottoms. The rest had blue bottoms. All the girls' skirts were black and the color that matched their division. The guys were the same except they had on pants instead of a skirt.

"It's very nice to meet you all," I started softly. "But why would you want to meet me?"

Amaya was the one who responded. "We were the ones who found you. We wanted to make sure you're okay and to officially meet you," she responded smiling. "We're also the ones most likely to be looking after you if you enter the academy. It's always best to get introductions out of the way early."

"What academy?" I asked, a bit confused.

"The Alice Academy of course!" Amaya exclaimed. Turning to Sakura she asked, "Did you or Doctor Imai not tell her anything?"

Sakura blushed and looked down. "No. We didn't know if she had an Alice or not yet."

"Well, I can assure you she does. I had Izumi Yukihara*, the boy with the detection Alice, stop by earlier to see if he could sense something from her. Obviously, he can't get an exact read without actually seeing her, but he felt major power coming from her. It's safe to say she will be enrolled in this academy and, judging by Izumi's reaction, probably in the Dangerous Ability class," explained Ayama. From this statement, I could tell that she was in charge and meant total business. "I want you, Sakura, to explain everything to Maria. She needs to know this before they come to enroll her. I'm guessing they'll use Izumi again to make sure she does have an Alice."

"Yes, Ayama. I'll do that right away."

"Thank you, Sakura," Ayama smiled and turned to the rest of the group. "We have to go now as visiting hours are over." Turning then to me, she said, "It was very nice to meet you, Maria. I hope to see you soon."

With that, she bent down, kissed me on the forehead, and walked back out of the room. I was left gaping at the doorway. Such familiarity had been shown with that kiss. It's almost like she had known me before.

The rest of the group said their goodbye's and exited. The only one left was Sakura.

"Well, that was interesting," she said to herself. I giggled. Looking back at me, she said, "Well, I think we should get you back in bed. You're starting to look pale again."

I nodded, knowing what she was talking about. It was getting hard to just stay upright anymore. Getting up, I moved over to the bed and laid down against the pillows.

"Do you need anything? If not, I'll go grab your dinner and--"

Another knock at the door interrupted her.

"Who could that be? I thought visiting hours were over..." she said to herself. Going over to the door, Sakura opened it, only to gasp and leap back before the door flew open.

"We've come for Maria."

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**A/N: Gosh. I typed this all up in one afternoon. That's 5 hours for you. I think I deserve a review or two for this one. I know the descriptions aren't very good and that this is a bit of a filler chap, but bear with me here. Not everything can be go-go-go. Anyways, thanks for reading!**

**Parentage: (with each parents' alice)  
**

**Yuki Yoshida= Daughter of Yura Otonashi (psychic Alice)  
**

**Kane Sono= Son of Kaname Sono (Alice of soul insertion into stuffed animals)**

**Tomi Goshima= Son of Hijiri Goshima (He has the Alice to change to his appearance)**

**Izumi Yukihara= Son of Kazu Yukihara (Alice of detection and long life) ((and it is not Mikan's dad. Kazu just named his son after his only brother who died))**

**~Roses and Diamonds  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the very long wait. Like I said in past author notes, I was VERY busy and still am. I'm going doing a lot of stuff. Bear with me. And I apologize to those who might have favorited this story or written a review. I deleted the last one because it was being really really weird. But I promise not to do it again!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice**

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Ever wonder why children have nightmares? Or adults go insane? Or weird things happen here and there? Do you ever get curious about that sort of thing? After that day, I have no doubt left in my mind about the causes of these things.

It all started when Sumire came strutting back through that door like she owned the place. There was no question that she was in charge and she intended to show it. Not even caring that she had almost knocked Sakura out, she walked up to my bed and made a motion to the door.

Before that, I hadn't noticed the people standing outside- a boy and a girl. I would say they looked just like the people who had come in earlier. Both of them wore the same green, plaid bottoms that Toni and Ayama had on when they came to visit me. _They must be students, _I realized.

But something seemed off; something I could not place.

Looking again, I started making note of their features. Both had short blond hair that was cut into a very modern, spiked look, green eyes and an athletic build. The girl looked very tough while the guy looked like he worked out every day. My first thought was that they were both very beautiful people.

Until I figured out what was wrong.

It was their expressions. Their faces were set into hard lines, their eyes were cold icicles, and their bodies were stiff and at attention. As I gazed into their eyes, I could tell that there was no hope, warmth, or kindness in them. No life shone from their souls. Nothing. Notta. Zip. Zilcho. Chills shot up my spine and I quickly turned my attention back to Sumire who was smugly standing there staring down at me as if she had just won some great battle.

"Maria, that is your name right?" she waited until I nodded in confirmation. "As I thought. The chart outside stated as much. Stupid Imai for not telling me." She made a disgusted noise, but continued on without skipping a beat, "Maria, we have an order for you to come with us immediately. Now, you can either come quietly or try to run away again which would obviously do you no good. Kaede and Daichi would stop you before you even made it to the window. So what is your choice?

I quickly glanced at the pair waiting in the doorway. Kaede and Daichi. They could obviously catch me if I tried to run what with their athletic bodies and all. But something in my mind nagged at me. There was something more to it than that. Something dangerous that I shouldn't mess with.

I had to go with them.

Looking one final time around the room to make sure I was all out of options, I spotted Sakura behind Kaede and Daichi. Her pale face told me just how scared she was of these people. She quickly mouthed to me, _Just go!_

My eyes squeezed shut trying to take away a little stress from my mind. Everything was moving way too fast. First, I have no memories whatsoever, but somehow I know things that seemed like everyday knowledge. Second, there was the whole Alice thing; I might have one, but I might not. And lastly, Sumire wanted me to go with her to God-knows-where most likely to be asked a million questions that had no answers.

"Kaede, I have no time for this. Take her and meet me back in his office." I opened my eyes just in time to see her storm out in impatience. My attention quickly went to Kaede as she started moving towards my bed. Scrambling backwards, I fell out of my bed and onto the floor. I kept moving backwards until I hit the wall and scrunched up into a ball. There was just something so scary about them!

"Stop moving and come with us. If you do not comply, we will be required to use force," Kaede said in a mechanic voice. This just made me want to get away more. Quickly, I looked around for an escape. The window was just behind me. If I could just open it and jump out before she could get around the bed, I might be able to hide somewhere and eventually find my way out.

Kaede didn't seem to be in much of a hurry. She was just standing there waiting for my next move as if she had all the time in the world. Well, if she believed that, then it was time to make my move.

The next minute passed by in a blur.

Before anyone could blink, I shot up, slammed my fist into the window- I didn't have time for locks and cranks- breaking the glass, and launched myself through the hole catching pieces of my skin on the jagged edges. An especially sharp piece scraped at my stomach as I flew by. That was gonna hurt tomorrow.

"Stop!" Kaede yelled as she ran to try to grab me before I escaped.

"Maria!" Sakura screamed as she also ran to grab me.

But me? I was falling. No, flying through the air. The wind rushed past my body and whipped my golden hair out behind me. Even though the ground was getting closer by the moment, this was utter bliss. Flying. Flying. Flying...

Until I flew into blackness.

One second, I was falling towards oblivion. The next, I was looking at the window I had just fallen out of as Sakura and Kaede gazed out of the broken glass. Arms held me firm against a strong chest. Looking up, I saw Daichi's face.

_How did I get back in the room? And into Daichi's arms? He hasn't even moved! I should be dead! I failed..._

Despair washed over me as I realized that my one ditch effort was wasted. I was back to where I had begun.

As I silently cried, Kaede and Sakura finally realized I had disappeared. Both turned around in a hurry, intending to inspect outside for my body, when they both saw me in Daichi's arms. While relief, confusion, and shock were displayed on Sakura's face, Kaede's only showed anger and repulsion.

"Daichi! You knew this was my assignment! Why did you interfere?" she screeched in rage.

"Your thinking was clouded by emotion," he stated in a detached manor. "Your want to succeed, your need to prove yourself, your rage at her freedom. All of this affected you negatively. It was time for your assignment to be halted and reassigned."

"To you?" she flew across the room in a wild rage intending to attack him.

"Stop, Kaede. You're only embarrassing yourself," he once again spoke in that cool, emotionless way. She only responded by screaming. Just as I thought she would take both Daichi and me down, she suddenly stopped, stood straight, smoothed her clothing and returned her features to that aloofness that was so chilling. I shivered at the utter...perfection of this new Kaede. Just by looking at her chilled eyes, I could tell she was a soldier. A soldier of precision, skill, and lethality, but with no warmth, hope, happiness, love, or any emotion whatsoever.

Human to robot. Something was definitely wrong.

"There. Easy, right?" Daichi said with a nod and shadow of something that might be a cousin to a smile.

"Yes. Thank you, brother. Shall we be off now that the target is secured?" Daichi nodded and turned around heading for the door. Before, all my attention had been on the enraged Kaede, but suddenly, I remembered just how much of a jam I was in. I didn't want to go with them. Never would I go with them.

_But...Maybe...they're the good guys..._My brain interjected. It certainly was a possibility... Either way, I knew I was stuck with them. From what I heard, transporting me was serious business. One mistake and they would be punished. Why such seriousness for capturing a little kid like me? They could easily overpower me. Whatever... It wasn't for me to worry about.

Daichi carried me out the door, to the right and down another hall. This hall was empty of door except one all the way near the end that looked like a janitor's closet. Glancing upward at Daichi's face, I saw his eyes glued to that door. Puzzled, I looked back at Kaede. She too had her eyes on the door.

_Maybe, _I thought, _once we reach the door, there will be a secret door next to it leading outside or perhaps another hall I couldn't see before...?_

These thoughts were discarded as Daichi stopped by the door and set me on my feet. I considered making a break for it, but Kaede quickly stepped in front of me.

"Run and we'll just bring you back," she stated. Flinching, I turned back to the door in time to see Daichi take out a key and unlock it.

"Kaede, please secure her hands and feet. It will make it easier if she doesn't squirm," Daichi said while unlocking the door. With a soft click, it quietly swung inwards. Craning my neck to look around Daichi, I saw what I least expected.

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**A/N: Bit of a cliffy, but I'm just barely squeezing this into my schedule! Anyone have a preference for which Gakuen Alice character they want to see next? Let me know by review. Thanks so much!**

**~Roses and Diamonds**


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